What Every Singer Needs to Know About the Body

How well do you know your body? Well, the "here's how" and "what's what" of your vocal instrument - your entire body, not just the larynx - are contained succinctly, clearly, and simply in this practical book, now in its second edition. What Every Singer Needs to Know About the Body, Second Edition gives singers and their teachers a Body Mapping resource - from anatomy and physiology to body awareness - that helps them discover and correct misconceptions about the way their bodies are built and the way they function. In doing so, it provides maps with detailed descriptions of the structures and movement used in breathing, phonation, resonance, articulation and gesture - illuminated with numerous illustrations and supported by many exploratory exercises. Because the structures and movements inherent in the vocal instrument are the same for every singer, they apply equally to every kind of singing. Differences in style result from differences in the choice of movement. Understanding and mapping the structures and movements used in singing provides the technical foundation for all singers. The purpose of this book is to provide singers with that foundation.This book does not espouse a single method or attempt to teach singing techniques. Rather, it describes the movements of singing with accuracy and detail so that singers may experiment on their own and communicate with each other more effectively. This has never been done before and it is a substantial contribution to music education in general and the education of singers in particular. For the second edition, the authors have greatly updated and expanded the content throughout the volume, reflecting the latest research on and knowledge. Some specific additions include: New images and exercises on breathing Substantially revised chapter on physical expression Fresh material about visual focus and facial expressions Many updates and extensions in response to reader feedback A comprehensive glossary of key terms In one author's words, "This book is needed because singers deserve to know the truth about their bodies. There are many pedagogy books that present the anatomy and physiology without helping singers find its practical application. There are books that take a holistic approach without sufficient anatomical and physiological detail.What Every Singer Needs to Know About the Body will strike a balance, giving singers the information they need and the tools to embody it so that they can use the whole body for creative vocal expression. It will de-mystify the process of singing, opening up a world of artistic choice." The first edition of his title is also available in a Japanese translation.

Table of Contents:
Introduction by Barbara Conable How to Use this Book by Melissa Malde Acknowledgments 1 Body Mapping, Kinesthesia, and Inclusive Awareness MaryJean Allen 2 The Core of the Body and the Six Places of Balance MaryJean Allen 3 The Singer's Breath Melissa Malde 4 Creating a Singing Sound Melissa Malde 5 Resonating the Voice Melissa Malde 6 Singing as Communication: Mapping the Structures of Articulation Kurt-Alexander Zeller 7 Physical Expression for Singers Kurt-Alexander Zeller Appendix A: What to Do about Performance Anxiety Barbara Conable Appendix B: The Scientific Basis of Body Mapping T. Richard Nichols Glossary References Index

About the Author :
Melissa Malde, D.M.A. is a licensed Andover Educator and performs regularly in opera, concert, recital and musical theatre. She holds degrees from Oberlin College and Conservatory, Northwestern University, the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati, and the Hochschule fur Musik in Munich, where she studied under the auspices of a German Academic Exchange grant. While in Munich, she won first prize in the Kulturforum Competition. Other honors include winning CCM's Concerto Competition, the Sudler Oratorio Competition and a Farwell Award in Chicago, and the Brice-Gooter Award at the NATSAA competition. She has presented academic papers, lecture recitals and clinics nationwide and is a Professor of Voice and Vocal Pedagogy at the University of Northern Colorado. MaryJean Allen, M.M., A.D. is a licensed Andover Educator, has taught Body Mapping since 2001, and is also a certified Alexander Technique Teacher. MaryJean has taught Body Mapping and Alexander Technique at young artist programs, universities, colleges, high schools, and churches throughout the United States. Many of her voice students sing professionally in classical, music theatre, or pop venues, while others teach voice or choral music. MaryJean holds a Master of Music and Artist Diploma in vocal performance, with a minor in piano performance. Allen has performed leading roles in opera and operetta throughout the United States and was competitively selected to sing in two Art Song Festivals, coaching with Dalton Baldwin, Elly Ameling, Gerard Souzay, and others. Kurt-Alexander Zeller, D.M.A., is a licensed Andover Educator and has presented Body Mapping workshops at regional, national, and international conferences. He currently serves as Director of Opera and Vocal Studies and as Coordinator of the Division of Music at Clayton State University in suburban Atlanta, Georgia. He is an active performer of early music and concert repertoire but especially enjoys working as a singer and director in all forms of music drama. Dr. Zeller holds undergraduate degrees in Music and Theatre from the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University and earned his graduate degrees at the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati. He has completed further studies at the Seattle Academy of Baroque Opera, the Early Music Institute of Indiana University, and the 1995 National Association of Teachers of Singing Internship program.

Review :
Carrie Garrett, Communicating Voice, The British Voice Association (2014): "This is the second edition of this popular resource for singers and singing teachers. The book is designed to help singers learn the correct physiology and function of the body through the process of Body Mapping, a technique first developed by the Alexander teacher, Barbara Conable. Through a variety of techniques, particularly the use of inclusive awareness, singers learn to create an accurate mental representation of their body's structure and function. This in turn leads to improvements in movement, tone production, breathing, and expression. The three principal authors have all studied Body Mapping with its founder and make their own individual contributions. - [Melissa Malde] makes the point that the book is not to be read as a standard textbook, but is intended to be used as a guide for experimentation and discovery. It is certainly a book which requires the reader to engage with it on a number of different levels, and deserves to be revisited whenever a singer struggles with physical understanding of how their body functions. Each chapter has a wealth of detail, which takes some time to work through. The illustrations will appeal to those who prefer a visual learning style, while the exploratory exercises offer a practical way of embodying the knowledge described in the book. From a teacher's viewpoint, some of the most interesting and helpful insights I received from the book were details about popular misconceptions that singers may have about how their bodies function. I explored a number of exercises from the chapter entitled 'The Singer's Breath' with one of my adult students. My student certainly benefited from the information and illustrations about the movement of the ribs, a subject that she has struggled with in the past and there was a noticeable improvement in her breathing after going through the practical exercises. - The second edition of this book has been updated with the addition of a glossary of key terms used throughout the book and updated references to websites for further information. The number of topics remains the same but there are now extended chapters on breathing and physical expression with a number of new exercises and illustrations. It is a book that I would recommend to singers and singing teachers as being essential reading. - "